“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”” Mark 15:34 ESV
Reflection: what is mankind’s deepest fear?
Have you ever have experienced, seen the sheer terror in the eyes of a child that has lost their parents?. Heard their desperate cry for help, for mom and dad? It is so heart wrenching, such a raw emotion, that strangers will immediately drop what they are doing, to run to the rescue. To try to comfort the child and help them find their parents. The idea of being alone, of being deserted by peers and friends, forsaken by loved ones, is perhaps one of the deepest fears we have as humans. We do so much to be accepted, starting with our parents and siblings, then friends and relatives, and peers at school and work. We do what they do, say what they say, dress like they dress, and so on. Our need for connectedness is God given.
We read from Genesis, after the fall, “But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”” Genesis 3:9-10 ESV. It is the first time that this emotion of fear is described. But what is the fear that Adam is talking about here? It says that Adam was trying to hide his “nakedness” from God. Why? Perhaps this wasn’t just describing his fear of punishment from his disobedience. But maybe what Adam truly feared that he would lose the relationship he had with God. That this was why he “hid” his nakedness. Perhaps it really was the deeper fear of being left alone, forsaken, separated from God?
I have so often wondered about this cry of Jesus on the cross. This heart wrenching cry of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, why he said it, and why it is mentioned. There is no mention of Jesus crying out from the horrific torture He endured. Not even one. Just this cry of
being forsaken by His Father.
And, Jesus truly was forsaken by God. I believe we get a glimpse here of hell. Of the worst man could ever experience. Much worse than any physical torture. A true separation from God. Jesus experienced that, as Father God poured the punishment for sin upon Jesus. The innocent, the pure lamb of God, sacrificed. One for all. For you and me. He took the punishment, the separation from God, for us so that we may NEVER experience this. May never experience the true separation from God. And, just image, that His Father had to hear the desperate cry from His only begotten son, and could not help Him. It is so deep, so big, impossible to fully grasp. It is
God’s own doing.
There is nothing we can do, but to accept His atonement for our sins. So today, perhaps spend some time to reflect on the fact that Jesus experienced being truly forsaken by God, alone, for us. What depth of love that drove Him to do this.
